


Animal

by Sigrid20002



Series: Slowtember 2020 [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: "Animal", Alternate Universe, Cat/Human Hybrids, Don't Judge, F/M, Hybrids, I love Mei, Mei is too precious, Original Character(s), POV Trafalgar D. Water Law, Pre-Relationship, Slowtember 2020, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:27:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26486416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sigrid20002/pseuds/Sigrid20002
Summary: Law doesn't intend nor expect to buy a cat hybrid at the market today. But he can't really leave her there to die, can he?
Relationships: Trafalgar D. Water Law/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Slowtember 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909006
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Animal

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my take for the Slowtember, created by [élod](https://twitter.com/megaelod) on Twitter! It's a challenge to write (or in the original draw) a piece each three days!
> 
> I will continue to write shipping OS, but I will choose them randomly :P
> 
> This time I drew a pairing with the original character Mei. She's not my own character, but from [Sachichan](https://www.instagram.com/p/CEfKV13Cc-S/?igshid=11ydh0nem4ckf) on Instagram. Please check out her artwork, it's also including Mei 🥰 I love her very much and had to include her in my Slowtember xD
> 
> If you want to check out the Slowtember challenge, do it [here](https://twitter.com/megaelod/status/1299348851405590528) !!

Usually the last place to find Trafalgar Law at is the market. He does not like that place, it makes his skin crawl. It reeks of sweat and blood and feces, because of all the animal hybrids caged in skin to skin in prisons that are too small to be comfortable.

Most humans don’t care. It’s been like that ever since hybrids got discovered by the human society. They were hunted and killed or sold to others. By now, there are barely wild hybrids out there anymore. Usually they are breeding controlled and raised by humans. Taught to behave since they are little.

Law knows of the cruelty hybrids are capable of, he experienced their wrath and anger himself and he lost his parents and his little sister because of it.

It doesn’t mean he enjoys seeing hybrids getting hurt or disregarded like trash - even children aren’t an exception.

He really doesn’t like this place, but he has business here today. His plan is simple. Talk to Duval, one of the people in charge of breeding and teaching hybrids until their adulthood, remind him of his debt with Doflamingo and then leave the market as soon as possible.

He doesn’t expect the cat hybrid running into him when he enters Duval’s shop.

For a moment Law stares at the redhaired woman - almost just a girl still, but she is probably an adult already. Her ears are slightly orange in colour, but there is a white spot on one of them and her tail looks the same as well - orange with white dots on it.

The woman stares back but then she tries to take advantage of Law’s surprise and attempts to squeeze past him, out of the shop.

“Stop her!” he hears Duval shout and more out of reflex than choice, Law grabs her arm and stops her from leaving. She starts resisting though. Kicking and screaming into Law’s face to let her go. Her tail goes rigid and her ears are twitching a little, but then Duval reaches her and injects her with something that seems to narcotize her, because she goes numb in Law’s arms and he has to keep her from falling.

With a swift move he picks her up, before his gaze falls on Duval, silently demanding an explanation.

“A-ah, Law, you’re here already,” Duval says and rubs his neek sheepishly. “I’m sorry for this... little incident. It seems like this pet is not ready for selling. And she probably never will be.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Law asks and frowns. He doesn’t like the way Duval said that. 

“WEll... she doesn’t really respond to our training methods, so... she’s gonna be put to sleep. It’s a danger to keep her here and the regulations demand that we get rid of her. She’s not suitable, neither as a pet nor a worker.”

Law grinds his teeth and looks back down to the girl. She looks healthy and she definitely is feisty. And she is young, barely started to live her life. And she was supposed to be killed? Because.. she had no value as a pet??

“I will buy her,” he hears himself say and he immediately freezes for a moment afterwards. Did he just-...?

“You what?” Duval seems as perplex as Law is. “B-but she isn’t safe... Even the collar won’t really help. She found out how to remove it multiple times.”

Law scoffs. That isn’t really difficult as long as you find the remote that controls the collar. But Duval also isn’t the lightest bulb in the box, so Law isn’t surprised. He’s far more surprised that this woman kept trying.

“I don’t care,” Law says finally. He has made a decision, as rash as it may have been. He usually tries not to get involved, but he’s also painfully aware that if he leaves her here, she will die.

“I’m gonna make it worth your while if you stay silent about what happened right now.”

“But I’m not even allowed to sell her as long as she isn’t-”

“15 000 sounds fine?” Law interrupts and it seems to shut him up for good. He just nods and mutters: “I will prepare everything...”

Soon Duval leaves the room and Law decides to lay the redhead down at one of the couches. She looks surprisingly peaceful now, when she isn’t trying to scratch Law’s eyes out. He also can’t really blame her, he would try to escape from here as well, but he doubts there is even a place she could run to. She would just be caught by the police or by hunters again, and then put back into an animal shelter.

When Duval comes back, he has some papers and a collar with him. He puts down the documents and reaches down to the woman to put the collar around her neck. It clicks shit and a small light turns green, indicating that the collar is secure.

“Here is the remote. This switch deactivates the collar and the button on the side is for an electric shock in case she tries to escape or doesn’t behave,” Duval explains as he hands Law the remote. The ravenhaired doesn’t reply, so Duval just continues: “I need you to sign here for the adoption.”

Law is glad after all of this is over. While he still thinks about how to get the hybrid home again, the girl suddenly stirs awake.

At first she looks very confused and disoriented, but then she shoots up, her ears pricked and her eyes wide. Her hand immediately reaches or her neck and Law can see her expression change to horror and devastation.

“No...” she whispers softly and Law feels a sting in his heart at the utter despair in her voice. She buries her face in her hands, her ears pressed against the top of her head, and she stays like this for a while. Law isn’t even sure what to say now.

“Will you need a leash?” Duval asks and his question makes the cat hybrid look up again.

“A leash?!” She asked shocked. “No, I’m not an-”

“Animal?” Law finishes her sentence and raises an eyebrow, but she just shoots him an angry look.

“That won’t be necessary...” Law answers Duval and turns back to him to hand him the documents. “I assume we’re finished here. Just to remind you, you still owe Doflamingo, so you better invest the money I gave you in something good.”

“I will!” Duval promises and Law turns away again, back to the hybrid female.

“Follow me,” he says, then he heads for the door. For a moment the girl stays frozen on the couch, but then she hurries to get up and follow Law. She must be pretty confused, but Law doesn’t plan on lifting her confusion for now.

They walk over the market together in silence for a while and Law watches her out of the corner of his eyes. She looks at the cages and other hybrids with sorrow, her tail hanging low, clearly affected by the sight, even though her situation doesn’t differ that much.

“So... you bought me?” she suddenly asks without looking at Law. The ravenhaired nods and answers: “I did. “ There is no sugarcoating the truth here.

“I thought Duval couldn’t sell me, because I’m too disobedient,” she says and turns her head towards Law now. “I even talk without permission.” The impudent grin on her face suggests she’s trying to get a rise out of Law, even though he is not sure why.

“I noticed,” Law replies, probably disappointing her expectations but he’s not that easy to rile up. “I bribed Duval, so he would sell you to me nevertheless.”

The girl seems surprised, but then she scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Wow, I didn’t know I’m worth that much to humans.”

Law could have told her that it has been the only way to save her life, but he didn’t. It’s not like he did it out of the goodness of his heart or something. He isn’t better than all the other humans by just ignoring everything that has to do with hybrids.

Especially not now after he bought a ‘pet’ himself for the first time.

So instead Law stays silent and they finally leave the market now.

“What’s your name?” Law asks out of the blue and it seems like he has surprised her with that question.

“What? Is there no name tag on my collar you can check?” she mocks him, but Law states dryly: “I can also just call you ‘cat’ but I doubt that’s something you would look forward to.”

The girl bites her lip and he can see her hesitation. “Mei,” she finally says and Law nods.

“We will discuss anything further when we’re home.”

It’s quiet for a moment and Law has to stop, when he notices Mei isn’t following him anymore.

“Your home you mean,” Mei hisses after Law has turned around. “Don’t think you can make it my home as well. I have a home already and it’s definitely not as anyone’s pet!”

These words actually don’t make Law angry. They make him curious. It’s certainly unusual to hear a hybrid talking back openly like this. No wonder Duval said he couldn’t sell her. She is far from being trained.

Law takes a step forward, but Mei doesn’t flinch, even though her ears twitch a little. But she meets his gaze with the same intensity like him. She doesn’t back down, even when Law steps close and looks down at her.

“Do you think you could survive as a stray pet?” he asks. He knows he’s being provocative and most certainly an asshole, but something fascinates him about her deviant behavior. He isn’t used to that at all.

“I would survive as a person,” Mei replies, still not looking away. Instead she even takes a step closer herself. They are almost touching... “And then I will live as a person. Noone owns me.”

Before Law can really comprehend what is happening - his breath totally didn’t stop when Mei was so close all of a sudden - she grabs into Law’s jacket and pulls out the remote for her collar. 

She pushes Law back forcefully and takes advantage of his surprise to vanish into one of the other streets.

Law curses and follows her as fast as he can. She can’t just run around here, what is she thinking?! Is she trying to get herself killed?

He finds the collar and the remote discarded on the way and picks them up. When he looks up he can see her turning around the corner just now. He moves faster, knowing she can’t get away, the question is if he manages to catch her earlier than the police or the hunters.

It’s obvious she doesn’t know where she is or where she should go from the trail she picked.

It doesn’t take too long until Mei is met with a dead end and she curses silently. Law hears it, he turns around the corner only shortly after her. He’s breathing hard, but steps closer to her again.

She turns around quickly and narrows her eyes. “You won’t get me to wear that collar again!” She tries to run past Law again, but he grabs her and similar to before she struggles against his grip and screams at him. 

“LET ME GO!”

Then Law feels something scratch at his creek and he hisses and pulls back out of reflex. He feels something dripping down his face and when Mei looks up and sees the blood, she freezes on the spot. She knows exactly what it means.

Hybrids are never ever allowed to hurt a human in any way. They are trained to behave since birth and hurting a human is one of the worst things to do.

Because you are written off as dangerous and incompliant. Because they say there is no chance of recovery. 

Because they can kill you immediately without consequences.

“Hey, is there a problem?” Both Law and Mei flinch when they hear someone else speak up and when Law turns around he’s almost face to face to an officer. He can see Mei tense, her gaze falls to the weapon on the guy’s belt and her ears drop back to her hear intimidated by the presence of this police officer.

He would shoot her. As soon as he hears what happened, he has permission to shoot her.

“Is she a stray?” the policeman asks, his eyes narrowing.

“No, she belongs to me,” Law answers. 

“But she doesn’t have a collar...”

Law raises the collar he still has with him and explains: “It malfunctioned. It got loose by itself.”

Mei looks at him in surprise. He’s lying. To the police. For her sake.

“Dis she hurt you?” the officer questions again, still skeptical of this situation. Law raises his hand to his cheek in surprise, where he is still bleeding, when the guy nods in his direction.

“What? No! Definitely no. Mei is very well-behaved and trained. She couldn’t even hurt a fly.”

Law looks at Mei and pats her head. She stares at him in disbelief, but thankfully she doesn’t say anything and doesn’t move. 

“The scratch is because I walked to close to the fence there and some wire scratched me. Pretty dangerous, but I also wasn’t paying much attention,” Law continues and the officer takes a closer look at the fence. There actually is a wire standing out, even reaching high enough it would have been possible for Law to scratch his cheek there. Mei seems almost amazed by Law’s lying technique.

“Your pet has to wear a collar out of home,” the officer reminds Law as he turns back, but he seems satisfied now.

“I apologize. I will replace the collar as soon as possible,” Law replies and the officer nods. 

“I will make sure that fence will be properly installed. Have a nice evening, sir,” he says, then he starts walking away.

Mei waits until he is gone, then she turns to LAw.

“Why... why would you lie?”

Law sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t get you out of that shelter to let you get shot in the streets,” he answers bluntly. Then his voice grows a little softer: “I do want to help you, Mei. For now you’re safest at my place though.”

Mei frowns while looking at Law. She doesn’t quite trust him yet, that much is apparent, but she realizes that she doesn’t really have a choice. 

“Fine!”, she finally accepts. “But there will be no collar at your house!”

“Okay.” Law nods. “But for now you have to wear it. I will take it off once were home. I mean-... at my place.”

She looks at him with a little curiosity now, but then she nods herself. Carefully Law raises his hands and even though Mei flinches a little, she doesn’t resist, when the collar snaps close.

She looks up at Law and swallows.

“I... I trust you... For now.”


End file.
